Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 May 2019 Proverbs 17:22.

27 May 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

​Proverbs 17:22.   ​A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

 

Well a Happy Memorial Day Holiday to all our Scrip-Bit friends and family in the U.S of A! Please enjoy it, but also, please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny Boy, drunk or sober, mind yuh business,’ and don’t let the enemy get a foothold in your soul. 

Now it’s all well and good to remember those who gave their lives for our democratic way of life, but please don’t forget the veterans who are still alive and are suffering because of their service on our behalf. We can’t do much for those who have already passed on, but we can certainly do much better than we’re currently doing for the ones left behind, maimed, disabled, and suffering mental, economic and psychological difficulties. 

So today, please take a moment to remember them, offer up a heartfelt prayer on their behalf, and sometime soon lobby your political representatives to improve their quality of life. They deserve at least that much! 

And now, for all of those who have to go out and labour, let’s raise up our spirits by declaring (right ho!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Yes friends, there’s nothing like good, sincere, heartfelt prayer to boost our spirits! And I can see that by just looking at the sudden light that’s come on in your eyes, and the way you’re holding yourself straighter and moving more briskly! (smile) And yeh, those loud, hoarse, slurry voices belonged to those who don’t have to go to work today. What else is new eh? (smile) 

And since we smiling so much this morning, (smile) I guess it’s a good time to talk about what good cheer can do for us. Here’s how Cousin Sol puts it nuh: ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ 

And isn’t that the gospel truth! Laughter, does act like good medicine on us! And it’s free to boot! And too many of us supposed believers are too serious and withdrawn, wrongly feeling that to be a Christian one must always have this sourpuss face and attitude. That’s so wrong! 

Look at Jesus nuh! He was never sour and miserable, but always pleasant and outgoing, not holding himself as some paragon of virtue, even though He was. He mixed and mingled with both the rich and the poor, the sick and the healthy, because He came to save all who were lost, and there indeed were, and still are lost souls in every category of human life. 

So please, let’s get rid of the false, idea and attitude so prevalent amongst us that laughter and lightheartedness are not becoming of a true Christian. I believe it’s the exact opposite! Since we’re so blessed and cared for, we should be lighthearted and show it, so others can see it and want the wonderful blessings that we have. 

And listen to Cousin Sol earlier on nuh: ‘Heaviness (anxiety) in the heart of man maketh it stoop (causes depression): but a good word maketh it glad.’ (Prov.12:25) Oh my people, yuh hear that? The scholars’ explain:‘12:25. A good word is a kind word that cheers the heart.’  So please, let’s go out today and try to use good words nuh, and make Jesus proud of us. 

And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to Isaiah: ‘The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.’ (Is.50:4) Yeh friends, our wonderful God whispers learning each morning to us when we awaken, expecting us to go out and share it with others. Let’s not disappoint Him nuh. 

And we’ll end with some more wise words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol: ‘A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance (face): but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.’ (Prov.15:13) And I’m sure all of us can attest to that from personal experience. When we’re happy, we wear a happy face, but when we’re not, we’re sour and sorrowful. 

And this last word from Cousin Sol. ‘All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.’ (Prov.1515) So my people, if we want to be continually feasting, then we have to have merry hearts! It’s as simple as that! So let’s go out today, and every day, with as merry a heart as we can handle nuh. That’s unadulterated wisdom, which brings everlasting joy! (smile) Much LOVE!

…if Christians would only lighten up…and laugh a li’l more…there wouldn’t be so many sour and miserable ones… (smile)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 July 2017 Proverbs 15:13.

08 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 15:13.   A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance (face): but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Happy Saturday friends, whether you’re simply lazing about the house, doing household chores or getting ready to go out and do whatever you’re going to do, be it work or play! (smile) Just don’t stress yourself out. Whatever you do, do it calmly with the thought of God’s rest on your mind. 

Today is not a good day to get upset and fly off the handle, because that’s exactly what the enemy is standing on the sidelines waiting for. So please take it nice and easy today…all day. 

And since today is Saturday, it means we have to check out some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this past week, as he aspires to inspire us to a better tomorrow. So without further ado let’s get into the first one, which is ever so important. ‘Let go of anger. Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.’ 

And that is the gospel truth friends! Anger corrodes our insides like acid in a plastic bottle, so it’s not a very good thing to hold on to. Why do you think Bruh Paul told us through Ephesians: ‘Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath. Neither give place (opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph.3:26-27) 

Because anger is a powerful negative emotion which causes us to do stuff that offers open invitations to the enemy, if we hold it for too long. Note he didn’t say, don’t get angry, because anger is a normal human emotion, but don’t sin when you do, and don’t hold it for too long. 

And this second quote pertains very much to the now generation, and even to some of the older ones. ‘Release yourself from entitlement. Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.’ 

Ah friends, too many of the young people feel that the world owes them a living, and it’s our fault (the parents) for giving them everything they wanted, when they wanted it, without trying to instill some sense of appreciation in them. 

This next one is also very instructive. ‘Don’t focus so much on making yourself feel good. The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.’ And that’s no lie! When we’re feeling down, the best remedy for our blues is to find some other blue person that we can cheer up, and you’ll be surprised how quickly your blues will disappear. 

And from this last quote, I want us to set today’s stage. ‘Lighten up and have some fun. Humour is mankind’s greatest blessing.’ Hn! I don’t know if humour or laughter is mankind’s greatest blessing, but I do know that it is one of them. Laughter is one of the best medicines for all maladies; it’s free and easy to come by. 

And as Cousin Sol says so eloquently in our Bit: ‘A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.’  

Oh my people, we can all attest to that truth, because we have all encountered a broken heart at some time in our lives and know that there is no pain as devastating as that. But we have also experienced the emotional high that a merry heart brings, and nothing is as delightful and delectable as that.  

So, I believe that we should all endeavour to have our lives guided by a merry spirit and a positive attitude. Just look at our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus: He was always pleasant, always light hearted, not given to excessive negativity, even in the toughest of times. 

Listen to Cousin Sol from Proverbs again. ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ (Prov.17:22) And the scholars explain it thus: ’17:22. A cheerful mind is revitalizing to the entire person.’ 

Now that is indisputable truth, because all the battles for control of our lives begin, are fought, and are decided in our minds. That means we have to learn to control our thoughts and focus on stuff that keeps us light hearted. 

And we’ll end with one more shout of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Heaviness (anxiety) in the heart of man maketh it stoop (causes depression): but a good word maketh it glad.’ (Prov.12:25) And the scholars enlighten us: ’12:25. A good word is a kind word that cheers the heart.’  More stuff that we also know from personal experience. So I don’t understand why so many of us Christians are so uptight, sour, sad and depressed. 

Yeh friends, if we’re true believers, then our spirits ought to be light, having the assurance that Christ is looking after our every earthly need, and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven.  Oh, by the way, they also say that one of the best abilities we can have, is the ability to laugh at ourselves. Too many of us take ourselves too seriously. 

So let’s lighten up today nuh mih breddren, let’s just enjoy the day, and let laughter and levity be uppermost in our souls today. That’s the word of wisdom for today, as detailed by the Holy Spirit. He wants to see a joyful body of believers raising the level of joy and laughter in the world this day. Much LOVE!

…to every thing there is a season…including a time to laugh…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 May 2013 Acts 2:4

21 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Acts 2:4.     And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
 

‘Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus, going on before.’ 

Oh Friends and fellow believers, are we living the kind of life that old hymn depicts? Is the testimony of our lives reflecting the principles of Jesus embedded in it? Do our actions verify the words we speak? 
 

I would like to think so, but from the sad and sorry state of our world, our church and our individual lives, it just doesn’t seem so. For there is no way that we could ever be living a godly life and yet be engulfed in so much misfortune and disaster on a worldwide scale.
 
Just look at the many natural disasters that are occurring, and with increasing frequency too. Recent examples of just this past weekend are the terrible tornados that touched down in Oklahoma, reputedly killing 51 people. Then we had snow in Newfoundland; 58 centimetres in 36 hours, beating the record of 49 centimetres for the whole month of May. There were also serious snowstorms in the U.S Midwest, and the Canadian Province of Manitoba.
 
The natural disasters just keep happening. And I won’t even bother to mention the many man-made ones, for we see, hear about, and experience them every day. 
 
Oh Friends, this is a wake up call! For if we want to live in a better world, or see our children live in one, then we absolutely have to live better with each other, starting RIGHT NOW. 
 
And the great thing is that it doesn’t have to increase by leaps and bounds and all at once. That would be highly unrealistic. A little bit each and every day is fine. If each of us decided that every day we’d treat at least one person we come into contact with decently, you wouldn’t believe the great multiplier effect it would have.
 
A good motto would be: Each one, treat one better every day. And it doesn’t have to be anything special, or anything we go to great lengths to do or provide. A simple handshake, a hug, a smile, a kind word, a ‘thank you’, or ‘after you’, or ‘I appreciate that’ will do.
 
Those simple, decent, everyday things will eventually forge a harmony, a sense of togetherness in mankind, the way Jesus desires. That’s why He sends His Holy Spirit to indwell us when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. The Holy Spirit is supposed to bring a sense of oneness, of fellowship, of belonging to the same body, Christ’s church.
 
But unfortunately we don’t seem to be using it for that purpose, because the great amount of dissension and division currently present in Christ’s church certainly doesn’t reflect that unity of the Holy Spirit.
 
That brings us to our Bit: ‘And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’
 
Yes my brethren, such is the power of the Holy Spirit, that it can work many wonders in us, and also cause us to work many wonders!
 
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 – please read it for yourself – Bruh Paul talks about the spiritual gifts given to each of us; whether it be wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles, etc. etc.
 
‘But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing (distributing) to every man severally (individually) as he will.’ (1 Cor.12:11)
 
Each of us has a special gift or gifts given to us, but it all comes from the same, the one and only Holy Spirit of Christ. Just like our physical bodies have different parts to perform different functions, likewise we have individual gifts to do certain things, which in concert, are expected to bring together and solidify the necessary aspects and functions of Christ’s church here on earth.
 
Bruh Paul spells that out for us in 1 Corinthians 12. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into the one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.’ (1 Cor.12:12-13)
 
That’s why my fellow believers, it is so important to use those gifts we’ve been given. We can only spread God’s Word, increase His kingdom and thus glorify Him by doing the things He’s gifted and entrusted us to do.
 
If we don’t, then we won’t be able to fulfill the mandate given to us by Christ: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
 
But until we understand what the Holy Spirit is all about, how it works in us, and how we’re supposed to use it, we won’t be able to maximize its resources and great potential. That statement leads me to chuckle, because I had fully intended to continue explaining the two basic aspects of the Holy Spirit; baptism, as we read yesterday, and the filling and regeneration today. But obviously I got somewhat sidetracked. (smile)
 
But that’s okay, because we still dealt with the topic of the Holy Spirit. And anything we can learn about it is going to prove invaluable in all areas of our well being, be it physical, or spiritual, earthly or heavenly. So I’m asking us to please remember that the Good Book and the Holy Spirit are the two main tools we have for wise Christian living on this ungodly earth.
 
More on the Holy Spirit tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please walk safely, using the tools and gifts the Lord has given us to enable us to LOVE Him, LIVE our Faith, and to SPREAD His Holy Word. Much LOVE!
 
…our maturity in Christ…depends in direct proportion to how we use our gifts and tools… 
 
P.S. The Bit’s somewhat late because I got up late. Stayed up till some ungodly hour watching hockey. Please accept my most humble apologies. (smile) Much LOVE!